The Underground Railroad eBook

from the market and soon met a friend formerly from
Richmond, who had been in servitude in the tobacco
factory owned by his master. Henry tried to prevail
on him to spot out said Hobson, in the market, and
see if there possibly could be any mistake. Not
a step would his friend take in that direction.
He had been away for several years, still he was a
fugitive, and didn’t like the idea of renewing
his acquaintance with old or new friends with a white
skin from Virginia. Henry, however, could not
content himself until he had taken another good look
at Mr. Hobson. Disguising himself he again took
a stroll through the market, looking on the right
and left as he passed along; presently he saw him seated
at a butcher’s stall. He examined him to
his satisfaction, and then went speedily to headquarters
(the Anti-Slavery Office), made known the fact of
his discovery, and stated that he believed his master
had no other errand to Boston than to capture him.
Measures were at once taken to ascertain if such a
man as Charles L. Hobson was booked at any of the
hotels in Boston.

On finding that this was really a fact, Henry was
offered and accepted private quarters with the well-known
philanthropist and friend of the fugitive, Francis
Jackson. His house as well as his purse was always
open to the slave. While under the roof of Mr.
Jackson, as Hobson advertised and described Henry
so accurately, and offered a reward of two hundred
and fifty dollars for him, Henry’s friends thought
that they would return him the compliment by publishing
him in the Boston papers quite as accurately if not
with as high a reward for him; they advertised him
after this manner: “Charles L. Hobson, twenty-two
years of age, six feet high, with a slouched hat on,
mixed coat, black pants, with a goatee, is stopping
at the Tremont Hotel,” &c., &c. This was
as a bomb-shell to Mr. Hobson, and he immediately
took the hint, and with his trunks steered for the
sunny South. In a day or two afterwards Henry
deemed it advisable to visit Canada. After arriving
there he wrote back to his young master, to let him
know where he was, and why he left, and what he was
doing. How his letter was received Henry was never
informed. For five years he lived in Boston and
ran on a boat trading to Canada East. He saved
up his money and took care of himself creditably.
He was soon prepared to go into some business that
would pay him better than running on the boat.
Two of his young friends agreed with him that they
could do better in Philadelphia than in Boston, so
they came to the City of Brotherly Love and opened
a first-class dining-saloon near Third and Chestnut
streets. For a time they carried on the business
with enterprise and commendable credit, but one of
the partners, disgusted with the prejudices of the
city passenger railway cars, felt that he could no
longer live here. Henry, known after leaving Slavery
only by the name of Wm. Scott, quitted the restaurant
business and found employment as a messenger under
Thomas A. Scott, Esq., Vice-President of the Pennsylvania
Central Rail Road, where he has faithfully served for
the last four years, and has the prospect of filling
the office for many years to come. He is an industrious,
sober, steady, upright, and intelligent young man,
and takes care of his wife and child in a comfortable
three story brick house of his own.